Open positions / Klefström lab

Open positions

We are recruiting ! Apply now. The deadlines are in September but the positions will be filled as soon as a suitable candidate has been identified.

OPEN POSITIONS

POSTDOCTORAL/SENIOR SCIENTIST CALL CLOSED

PROJECT COORDINATOR. Call closeD

POST DOCTORAL FELLOW, graduate student positions. CALL CLOSED

Postdoctoral/SENIOR SCIENTIST

We are seeking a postdoc/Sr. Scientist for the TEHO project, a Challenge Finland (TEKES) awarded project focusing on adaptive clinical trial design. The open position will involve development of novel preclinical platforms for identification of novel adaptive biomarkers, with special focus on patient-derived breast cancer explants. These living explant cultures are expected to open completely new avenues for the development of personalized therapeutic treatments of breast cancer. TEHO project is a large multidisciplinary consortium with partners from academia (Universities of Helsinki and Turku), Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, as well as several small to medium and large pharma companies.

This one-and-a-half year project offers an opportunity to learn about new concepts and methods in modern cancer biology, including tumour explant cultures, targeted therapies and immuno-oncology. Importantly, the project aims to bridge the gap between non-clinical models and real clinical situations by developing novel predictive preclinical cancer models with the ultimate goal to help breast cancer patients already within the lifetime of the project.

The postdoc will further develop state-of-the-art three-dimensional human mammary tumour culture models and create an optimized pipeline to use these explant cultures as a preclinical platform for drug development. Furthermore, he or she will study the tumor microenvironment, including immunological microenvironment, and will closely interact with both clinicians in the Comprehensive Cancer Center and the pharma companies involved in the project. In addition to the explant cultures, the project will involve techniques such as RNAseq, biomarker analysis, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, and (automated) image analysis.

Suitable candidates have a strong background in Genetics, Medicine, Biochemistry, Immunology, Biomedicine or Biomedical Engineering. Experience in standard molecular biology methods and cell culturing is required and knowledge of the above-mentioned techniques is appreciated. A successful candidate has excellent communication skills, scientific creativity, and the ability to carefully plan and execute experiments. Importantly, the candidate needs to able to work both independently and, due to the highly collaborative nature of this project, as part of a team.

The application deadline is September 30, 2017 but, as the postdoc position is immediately available, the position will be filled as soon as a suitable candidate is found.

To apply, please send a cover letter, CV and names of two referees to Research Director Juha Klefström, E-mail: klefstromjobs2017@gmail.com with the quoting reference: PostDoc_TEHO

For more information on our research and technology platforms, visit the website: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/cancer-cell-circuitry-laboratory

PROJECT COORDINATOR

Helsinki Institute for Life Science (HiLIFE) coordinates research infrastructures in life sciences and provides research-based interdisciplinary training. HiLIFE has recently organized UH based research infrastructures into technology platforms and the tasks of the project coordinator are related to HiLIFE funded Finnish Genome Editing Center (FinGEEC) initiative, which aims to systematically build resources and services for in vitro and in vivo genome editing and engineering purposes. FiNGEEC is part of Genome editing, recombinant virus production and stem cells focused GoEditStem platform. FinGEEC also closely cooperates with Biomedicum Functional Genomics Unit (FuGU) to provide users access to a wide range of integrated functional genomics services and customized solutions with special emphasis in next-generation sequencing, bioinformatics, qRT-PCR, genome editing and viral gene transfer technologies.

Project coordinator position is immediately available in HiLIFE’s Finnish Genome Editing Center initiative. The application deadline is September 30, 2017 but the position is filled as soon as a suitable candidate is found.

Primarily, we are looking for a post doc level researcher interested in staying in science through building a career in research infrastructure services. We expect you to have a strong technical background in genetics and cell biology as well as scientific papers, which demonstrate your creative ability to capture new research technologies and innovations to address difficult scientific problems. Strong experience in cell culture and basic molecular biology technologies is mandatory and the candidate must have demonstrated capability in planning and execution of independent scientific projects. Experience in BSL2 gene transfer methods is considered as a bonus. In this position, your operational tasks will mainly focus on the management of recombinant virus services, including generation of bacterial and DNA products and lenti- and retroviral particles for in vitro and in vivo purposes, distribution and management of a large-scale CRISPR gRNA and shRNA libraries, gene expression validation service with qRT-PCR, customer care and development of the virus laboratory. The strategic part of your work will involve platform development, which typically involves piloting new technologies as part of national or international collaborations, technology integration, advertisement and offering researcher training. The infrastructure management part of the job involves fund raising, reporting and financial responsibilities. Your work will be supported by FuGU personnel as well as the scientific lablife and training provided by Klefström laboratory. Although we are primarily looking for a post doc, exceptional candidates with a master’s degree in molecular biology, biotechnology, a polytechnic degree or equivalent will be considered.

Successful implementation of your tasks will require technical prowess, independent problem solving ability, excellent communication skills and capability for teamwork with researchers coming from different backgrounds. To inspire your customers and collaborators, you need to have a genuine interest in science and can do attitude with regards to utilization of new technology.

We offer you a possibility to develop career on a science technology track at coordinator (Sr. Scientist) level in scientifically inspiring and teamwork-spirited environment of about 20 scientific researchers, including number of world-renowned PI scientists, skilled service project coordinators and dedicated research assistants.

Postdoc and graduate student positions

We are seeking energetic postdocs and graduate students (or late stage pro gradu student) for a TEKES and the Academy of Finland funded project aiming to build a preclinical platform on patient-derived breast cancer explants. The living explant cultures are expected to open completely new avenues for development of personalized therapeutic treatments of breast cancer. The project involves several large multidisciplinary consortia with partners from academia & pharma industry.

The project offers an opportunity to learn about new concepts and methods in modern cancer biology, including targeted therapies and immuno-oncology research, as well as push the limits of predictive cancer models with an ultimate goal to help breast cancer patients already within the lifetime of the project.

For a graduate student position, we also consider applications from “pro gradu” level undergraduates, who are planning a PhD study in this area.

To apply, please send a cover letter, CV and names of two referees to Research Director Juha Klefström, E-mail: klefstromjobs2017@gmail.comwith the quoting reference:

PostDoc_0517 or graduatestudent_0517

Closing date: Sept 30, 2017.

For more information on our research and technology platforms, visit the website: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/cancer-cell-circuitry-laboratory

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Want to join us?

Want to join us? We are about 10 researchers, including postdocs, graduate students and skilled research assisting personnel. The lab is dedicated to translate high-impact laboratory discoveries to the benefit of breast cancer patients and our strengths are in versatile use of genetic and pharmacological approaches together with sophisticated in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo models of breast cancer.

What do we expect from a new lab member?Your incentive to carry out research has to be scientific curiosity. You keep on asking why and how things happen? We are a translational science lab and for that type of environment we invite not only your experimental skills but also your ideas, brains and personal creativity. Once your hypotheses mature, you will have high degree of freedom to pursue own scientific ideas and projects. At this stage, you will find collaborators from inside and outside of the lab, no-one works alone. We expect you to show determination and commitment to your projects. You have to believe in your vision and prove it. That means hard work, but this is for the benefit of yourself.

What do we offer for you?You will learn many state-of-art molecular research technologies, from CRISPR mediated gene editing to modern 3D culture technology of cells and patient-derived breast cancer explants. You will learn molecular cloning, protein techniques, confocal microscopy and methods pertaining to transgenic, knock-out and syngrafted mouse models of cancer. In addition, you will develop your skills in reasoning and scientific argumentation. We discuss and argue a lot in our weekly lab meetings, journal clubs as well as in our annual lab retreat. In addition to the training offered by the lab, you will be exposed to vivid scientific atmosphere of the Research Programs Unit (RPU) of Medical Faculty. RPU groups include both basic researchers and clinical scientists working with patients and the program offers weekly seminars and symposia, Science days as well as social program.